COD Officials Hope They've Solved Science Labs' Problems

On a good day, the new organic chemistry labs at College of DuPage are unrivaled.

Few colleges, let alone community colleges, can lay claim to such a state-of-the-art system.

The bad days, however, are a problem.

Since the labs opened in late 1998 students and teachers have not known from one minute to the next whether they will be able work through an entire class.

Problems with the air flow and monitoring systems set off alarms requiring students to leave the area. Each time experts have fixed the problem, it has been just a matter of time before new glitches have surfaced.

Officials, however, say the problems haven't endangered students.

"They're designed to be extraordinarily safe and we want to make sure they're safe. We have no wish to subject anyone to unsafe conditions," David Malek, dean of COD's natural science department.

The problem instead is that the monitors are not "predictable," he said.

After more than a year of work, though, officials believe the system soon will work as intended.

"I really believe we're making some progress in getting our problems solved," said Chuck Esler, CEO of Wight and Company, architect of the $2 million labs.

He said last week, for the first time, there were no technical problems with any of the targeted systems.

Malek said he's pleased with the improvement.

"We just want them to operate in a stable, consistent manner," Malek said.

It's an extraordinarily complex system, which is why it's taking so long to fix, Malek said. …

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